As Israel intensifies its war on Hamas, civilians in Gaza and nearby parts of Israel live under constant threat of aerial assault. Israel’s military is launching hundreds of strikes a day on Gaza and said Friday it was moving in ground forces, while Hamas is firing hundreds of rockets back toward Israel. In Gaza, communications and power outages leave civilians struggling to access even basic information about the ongoing conflict. On the Israeli side of the border, an official warning app that gives civilians a chance to take cover is helping prevent casualties.
The Israeli government’s Home Front Command app has warned of 10,000 threats since Hamas first attacked on October 7, the country’s deadliest extremist incursion in years. Adoption has more than tripled since then to over 2 million active users, up from under 600,000, military officials who oversee the technology tell WIRED. Add in unofficial copycats, some of which connect directly to military servers, and “red alert” apps currently account for four of the 10 most popular free offerings on mobile app stores in Israel.
“By providing early warning to civilians, we are saving lives,” says lieutenant colonel Itay Zamir, who oversees the early warning system for the Israel Defense Forces. He says his team recently got a message of thanks from a mother saying the app warned of an attack four precious seconds before alarms blared on public sirens that have dotted streets since 2006. “That’s one more child she can get inside shelter,” he says.
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